The Oakville Chamber of Commerce and the Ontario Chamber are advocating for increased co-operation between the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Private Sector in order to improve patient experience with out creating a two tiered health care system.

About the Author

Kristen Curry is the Communications Coordinator at the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, and a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where she received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Communication and Media Studies with Business Management Option.

On Tuesday, May 31, 2016 the Oakville Chamber, in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released a new report, Prescription for Partnership, which points to the need for health care stakeholders, both public and private, to put patients first. This report takes a closer look at the role commissioning can play in re-orienting a system that too often operates in response to budgetary pressure. Commissioning allows public and private sector perspectives to be in conversation much earlier in the decision-making process.

The Oakville Chamber cites commissioning as a way of focusing our system on outcomes for patients rather than inputs from providers. This kind of collaboration is a key enabler of innovations in access, quality, and cost.

“The provincial government needs to work with the private sector in order to meet its goal of putting patients first,” said John Sawyer, President of the Oakville Chamber “We need the public and private sectors to problem-solve together and leverage one another’s expertise throughout the decision making process.”

The private sector has long been an active participant in Ontario’s health care system. In fact, the level of private sector involvement in Canadian health care is slightly above the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average – 12th highest overall, and greater than 22 other countries in the OECD. However, the current relationship between the public sector and private health vendors (both for-profit and non-profit) lacks a co-operative structure and culture.

“Today, the public sector is largely making decisions based on strict budgets and inflexible guidelines,” said Allan O’Dette, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber. “We cannot allow patient needs to continue to finish second.”